Tembleque is a delicious coconut custard dessert that I have loved ever since I could remember. I always made it using the box mix available in the Goya section, but the other day I tried it from scratch when I couldn’t find the box at the store.

I was quite surprised at how easy it is to make using this recipe. It turned out wonderfully.  Needless to say, I don’t think I will be buying the box mix anymore. Sorry, Goya.

Let’s get cooking!

Step One:
Gather ingredients.

• 2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk (not the sweetened kind)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Step Two:
Stir coconut milk, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan.

Step Three:
Spoon about a quarter cup of the coconut milk mixture into a small bowl and stir cornstarch into the mixture to dissolve.

Step Four:
Pour into the mixture in the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly. Cook until smooth and thick. This should take about 5 minutes.

Step Five:
Pour the coconut milk mixture into a mold or into individual molds, depending on how you want to serve it.  I used one of those old copper molds because I think they look neat, but individual servings could be nice for quick snacks.

Step Six:
Sprinkle on some cinnamon and then cover with plastic wrap. This is important so that a chewy, icky film doesn’t form.

Step Seven:
Let it cool a little (those metal pans get HOT, so be careful handling it) and then pop it in the refrigerator. I typically make this a day before I intend to serve it, but I read that it could be ready to serve in as little as 3 hours.

Step Eight:
When ready to serve, I typically put the mold into a bath of hot water while I run a butter knife gently around the inside of the mold. Then just invert the mold(s) onto a serving plate and sprinkle with more cinnamon.

It’s an impressive, attractive dessert that’s not too sweet. It is a lovely treat on a summer day after some spicy food.  I do hope you try it sometime. Enjoy!